The Best Bakery-Style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
PSA: If you love bakery-style chocolate chip peanut butter cookies, you have to try this recipe! These cookies are super thick, rich in peanut butter flavor, and loaded with gooey chocolate chips! Press extra chocolate chips on top and sprinkle with sea salt for an impressive presentation!
- 2 and 2/3 cups flour (321 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter (269 grams)
- 1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (199 grams) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (142g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus extra for decorating
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon (if using). Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the peanut butter and butter until smooth.
- Gradually add in both sugars, one at a time, and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes.
- On low speed, add in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Turn the mixer off.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop out 1/4 cup portions of the cookie dough and roll it into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2-inches between each cookie for spreading. Gently press down on each cookie ball, slightly flattening the ball. This will help them spread evenly in the oven.
- Bake, one tray at a time, for 14 to 16 minutes, or until golden brown and set. Repeat with all cookie dough.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, press a few extra chocolate chips on top while they're still warm, and sprinkle with sea salt, if desired. Serve warm or cooled!
Extra Special Peanut Butter Cookies?
In a world where millions and millions of peanut butter cookie recipes exist, what makes my recipe extra special? Well, I’m glad you asked! Because there are a few things that set my special peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe apart from the rest:
- 1 cup of peanut butter promises tons of peanut butter flavor
- a pinch of cinnamon enhances the depth of flavor without adding a dominant cinnamon flavor to the cookie dough
- An egg yolk makes the cookies extra chewy.
- brown sugar and granulated sugar give these cookies an exceptionally soft and chewy texture
- 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips ensures there’s a gooey chocolate chip in every bite!
If you’re tired of dry flavorless peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, give my recipe a try! These bake up HUGE and pack a ton of flavor, so bust out your baking sheets. And jump to the recipe at the bottom of this page!
How to Make PERFECT Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- You will need a stand mixer or electric mixer for this recipe! You’ll use it to beat your room temperature butter and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy. I don’t suggest doing this step by hand, as it can be hard to manually break up the butter evenly.
- Use eggs AND a yolk! Don’t skip the yolk because it adds moisture and makes the cookies a little more chewy! And be sure you’re using large eggs, not medium or extra large.
- Brown sugar AND granulated sugar! This combination adds flavor and moisture to our cookies.
- Weigh your dry ingredients! Especially the flour, because using too much flour can lead to dry balls of dough that don’t bake properly. This is my favorite kitchen scale! It’s under 30 dollars, easy to clean, and most importantly, very accurate!
- Don’t use artificial vanilla flavoring! This won’t add anything but generic artificial flavor to your cookies. So if you don’t have real vanilla extract on hand, just skip it! Or add a teaspoon or two of bourbon.
- I do not recommend using natural style peanut butter, sugar free peanut butter, or chunky peanut butter!
- For an extra peanut butter kick, try subbing half of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips!
- For evenly shaped cookies, use a large cookie scoop to divide your cookie dough. This ensures all of your cookies come out the same size and shape!
- Press down gently on the dough balls before baking. This helps them spread evenly in the oven! If you prefer super puffy cookies, you can skip this step. But be warned: they’ll the very thick!!! Not at all a bad thing, but I find most people prefer them a little thinner.
For extra pretty cookies, press a few chocolate chips on top right when the cookies come out of the oven! And if you love the combination of salty and sweet, you can sprinkle on some flaky sea salt, too!
Can I make them ahead of time?
Thankfully, this recipe doesn’t require chilled dough! Meaning you can just assemble, scoop, and bake!
That said, if you’d like to make the cookie dough ahead of time, you can. It’ll keep, covered and in the fridge, for up to 3 days! But let it come to room temperature for a bit before baking. I usually sit my bowl on the counter for 30 minutes or so before baking.
And you can also freeze the cookie dough balls for up to 2 months! Place them on a cookie sheet and freeze until solid, then transfer them to a freezer safe ziplock bag and pop them in the freezer until needed. But you’ll want to add a few minutes onto the bake time if baking from a frozen state!
